Combative Patient Malpractice?

Prescribing a treatment for disease/injury, without a diagnosis, would be considered malpractice. On the job, the recognition for potential litigation is so brow-beaten into staff psyche, many refuse to utter the words, “You will be alright” to a patient, for fear of litigation.

Heck, nurses would never give out discharge instructions that were not ordered by the doctor, who originally diagnosed the problem… The doctor who has training and experience in the field in which he/she is practicing.

Ironically, healthcare professionals seek and receive regular advice (sometimes officially, and others unofficially) on treatment for the epidemic, that is violence on the job, you know the whole “Combative Patient” thing…

Oftentimes the advice is erroneous and even dangerous. When the well-intended , but ultimately wrong advice is followed, some professionals have lost their job, some have lost their freedom (resulting in formal arrest), with many more having suffered physical and/or psychological injury.

DT4EMS’ research has uncovered pivotal actions, perceptions and behaviors that lead to violent encounters. Spending over two decades studying the dynamics of real cases of patient-provider interactions. Researching influencing factors; prior, during, and after an event, was our diagnosing process. Our prescription is based upon the unique epidemic healthcare faces, which is why our EVE program is so well received in both pre-hospital and in-hospital environments.

The question becomes:

Should a person, prescribing actions/behaviors, resulting in loss and/or injury, be held accountable by a form of malpractice, when it comes to violence and the use of force in healthcare?